How to use your voice to help your remember

When you need to remember something, but you don’t have a laptop, mobile phone voice recorder, or pen and paper handy, or you’re driving your car – speak aloud what you need to remember.

This will create a metaphorical audio file in your mind and will give you a better chance to recall the information (versus just thinking of the thought in your mind). Hearing your own voice prompts better recall.

Anecdotal evidence of this technique indicates that you’ll have better recall if you speak short phrases and sentences versus longer sentences. Speak “call Tom Flynn today” versus “You need to call Tom Flynn today to discuss the proposal before he leaves for Japan”.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days, trial this ‘speak it aloud’ to remember technique and reflect on its effectiveness.